When doing a search on eBay today, I noticed a bunch of coupons for sale. Huh, I thought. Is that legal? Like most people, I have heard that selling coupons is illegal. Spoke to Husband about it, and he said that's what he thought. So, I decided to do some research. The results were quite interesting.
A search of "illegal to sell coupons" on Google returned about 6,700,000 results. After clicking on all the results of the first 10 pages, I discovered that all those sites included that statement. Many were adamant about the legality of such practices. None named a legal statute. Could we all be misled on this topic?
I then went to the website for the Federal Trade Commission. If anyone would know the answer, it would happen to be them, right? The same search on their site returned a bunch of results, but here the tone was completely different. In fact, I was directed to a publication that puts "coupon fraud" in an entirely new light. The publication: Costly Coupon Scams, describes what is illegal in the coupon realm.
The first two paragraphs tell the story: Cents-off coupons are providing big bucks for scam artists who offer business opportunity and work-at-home schemes featuring coupon certificate booklets and coupon clipping services. Using the Internet to market these so-called opportunities, fraudulent promoters are promising entrepreneurs, charity groups and consumers earnings of "hundreds per week" and "thousands per month" simply by selling coupon certificate booklets or cutting coupons at home. The fact is that consumers and manufacturers are getting clipped in these costly - and deceptive-coupon capers. There's only one legitimate way to use a coupon: Cut it out of the newspaper or other source and use it toward the purchase of the designated product. A coupon is meant to be used only by the consumer who buys the product for which the coupon is printed. Selling or transferring coupons to a third party violates most manufacturers' coupon redemption policies - and usually voids the coupon.
Nowhere in the publication does it say that selling coupons is illegal - just that it "usually voids the coupon."
Further down the page, in a section titled "Coupon Clipping Scam" is some more interesting info: A related scam centers on coupon clipping. Promoters make overblown promises about the income or profit potential for consumers working at home clipping coupons. These claims certainly sound appealing, but they are unsubstantiated at best and bold lies at worst. Making money - particularly "hundreds per week" and "thousands per month" - isn't that easy. Success generally requires hard work. Sometimes, fraudulent promoters use coupons clipped by consumers to fill orders from other consumers who redeem the coupon certificates. Many manufacturers have policies that do not allow coupons to be transferred. That is, the coupons that are being sold may not be redeemed by the retailer or manufacturer.
Again, they don't say that it is illegal to sell or transfer coupons - just that "The coupons that are being sold may not be redeemed...."
Perhaps I'm wrong, but wouldn't it make sense, if selling coupons were truly illegal, that the FTC would say so?
My guess is that this is an urban legend, started by manufacturers and coupon issuers, as a way to protect their marketing research. When they publish coupons, and the coupons are redeemed, they track the effectiveness of that promotion in a variety of ways. They track the stores that redeem them, the cities where redeemed, etc. When people exchange coupons, it messes up their results. They don't know if the coupons redeemed in one city were as a result of being published in that city, or it they should attribute the redemption to another city of publication.
The CIC (Coupon Information Corporation) is a nonprofit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud. They proudly announce on their home page: The CIC and its members have worked with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials on every significant coupon fraud case since the CIC began operations in 1986.
On their FAQ page, they have 2 items I found interesting:
Can I sell my extra coupons? No, there is no legitimate way to sell your unwanted coupons.The sale or transfer of coupons is a violation of virtually all manufacturers' coupon redemption policies. These policies are generally printed on the coupons or is available from the manufacturer upon request. The sale or transfer voids the coupon. Persons purchasing coupons have often been associated with organized criminal activities. They often purchase the coupons as one aspect of a scheme to defraud the coupon issuers/manufacturers, usually by seeking to redeem coupons without purchasing any products. Individuals selling coupons to such crime rings have been charged with and convicted of criminal violations. Can I buy coupons? No, there are good reasons not to purchase coupons. In addition to being in violation of the manufacturers' policies, it simply does not make sense to pay for something that is given away for free. Coupons being sold on the Internet or by other means may be stolen property or counterfeit. Individuals attempting to use these coupons may be subject to prosecution.
I noticed that they Did Not say that buying and selling coupons is illegal. They listed specific situations where it might be illegal - to defraud the issuer/manufacturer, or the selling of stolen or counterfeit property.
Let's let this urban legend die. Coupons, in the hands of lawful consumers, are a great hedge against inflation and the rising prices on things we need and use. Putting more coupons in the hands of lawful consumers, who will use them as intended, makes good money sense. It helps the consumer, AND sells more of the manufacturer's products, which is why they publish them in the first place.
By the way, I'm not an attorney, and this isn't legal advice. Before you do anything you're worried might be illegal, check with an attorney. When you do, make sure he knows the law, and doesn't just spout "common knowledge." In this case, "common knowledge" appears to be "common misunderstanding."
This must be a required class in med school: "How to Give Bad News 101". Every time a doctor has to give me bad news, they always coach it with a bit of good news first. I've learned to read them. When the good news sounds okay, and they are making it sound like it's really, really good, they are setting you up.
Case in point: When we took the old dog to the vet after 24 hours of bleeding from the nether regions, the doc took a bunch of x-rays. When she reviewed them with us, she told us how good her heart looked, and how the tumor on her backside was small, and would probably grow slowly. Then she put up the x-ray that clearly showed a fist-sized tumor on her spleen. Really bad news.
That's why, when I saw the doctor on Friday, I knew bad news was a-brewin'.
Let's go back to Thursday afternoon for a moment. I picked up my mail at the post office, and was looking at an ad from VistaPrint on the way back to the car. What I didn't see was the 2" rise in concrete just before my driver's door. I was moving at a good clip, so I hit it full force with my right foot. The one that had surgery in September.
Back to Friday. After doing the "does this hurt?" routine (the answer was yes) she ordered a bunch of x-rays. When they were done, she put them up on the lighted panel, and quickly reviewed each one. Then she showed me all the different angles of my ankle. No breaks. Looks healthy. Good news.
Ah, but there were 3 more xrays to go. "I thought you might have a break on this bone, but it doesn't show yet. It might be broken, but we'll have to wait and see." The not so good, but not so bad news.
Final x-ray. "Now, take a look at this. You've broken the pin and one of the screws we put in. The head is broken right off. We need to do surgery, and we won't be able to remove all the pieces." Yep, that's the bad news I was steeled for. Being prepared doesn't make it any easier.
Official Announcement: The Molson Coors Brewing Co. has been named the official ethanol provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held in Denver Aug. 25-28. Molson Coors will fuel DNC vehicles with ethanol from waste beer.
Unless it was backwash, or beer that was left out, open so that it got warm and flat, I've never had the term "waste beer" enter my vocabulary. In those instances, it was more like, "What a waste of good beer."
Convention organizers aim to make the event "the greenest convention possible." Other sustainable initiatives, in addition to using ethanol, include mitigating carbon emissions and cutting down on waste through recycling to a preference for organic food served at convention events.
While I'm at it, I just want to mention that certain terms have been used so much in preparation for the political farce that is the DNC, I just want to scream. "Green" is the biggest offender, followed closely by "carbon footprint," "zero-waste," and "carbon neutral." The planners have gone absolutely nuts trying to prove that Denver is the greenest city in the US, by requiring all vendors to follow a rediculously strict list of rules that they would never follow under normal circumstances.
The latest example of the extent to which the DNC planners will take this lunacy is the list of requirements for food vendors. A short exerpt:
Fried foods are forbidden at the committee's 22 or so events, as is liquid served in individual plastic containers. Plates must be reusable, like china, recyclable or compostable. The food should be local, organic or both. (Uh, here in Colorado, with our short growing season, local doesn't necessarily cut it. And, the organic requirement will send costs through the roof. Will the DNC pay, or will vendors lose, just for the opportunity to participate? Get your money up front, folks.) And caterers must provide foods in "at least three of the following five colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white," garnishes not included, according to a Request for Proposals, or RFP, distributed last week.
It's not about saving the planet. It's about perception and political posturing. August 29 will not come soon enough.
I love onion rings. Not enough, though, to put up with bad ones. They gotta be good, which means they absolutely must be hot, crisp, with the right amount of crunch and fresh onion goodness.
We went to Rock Bottom Brewery in Loveland for dinner Thursday night. Their onion rings were greasy, soggy, and ice cold. Husband's meat loaf dinner was mushy and tasteless, too, by the way. So, for an informal review of Rock Bottom Brewery, I'd have to give it one point out of ten. The one point is for the friendly, although somewhat inattentive, waitress. The atmosphere was average - what you'd expect for a large chain. Big, new, crowded, noisy.
But, back to the onion rings. I'll give you a list of the top three places to get stellar onion rings, and a couple to definitely avoid.
#1 and the absolute best: Runza. There are no Runza Restaurants in the Denver area, so I have to stop by their Loveland restaurant to get my fix. Unfortunately, I am very rarely in Northern Colorado, so I don't get these very often. If you're in Lincoln, Nebraska, you may remember Rock & Roll Runza - art deco 50's interior and wait staff on roller skates. It was a fun destination. Too bad they went corporate.
#2 and a strong contender: Sonic Drive-In. I'll qualify this, though, with a disclaimer: it definitely depends on which Sonic you go to, and when. You want to go when they are busy, so the onion rings are absolutely fresh when you get them.
#3 Dewey's All-American Grill. Their rings are plentiful, crunchy, and divine. They're served all stacked up on a post, which is fun. Bonus: the dipping sauce. Good enough to lick the bowl. Double-bonus: friendly, attentive wait staff, a zillion tv's tuned to every game you'd want to see, and you don't have to eat in your car.
The bad: Okay, I've already mentioned Rockbottom Brewery. Another forgettable: Denny's, where the onion rings are worse than the ones I make at home (which, by the way, I dump out of a bag and put in the oven).
The absolute worst onion rings of all time: Burger King. Chopped onions in a soggy batter that soaks up grease without getting crunchy. Ick.
Normal is seriously overrated. Give me something different, unusual, and yes, weird. Weird is more exciting, or at the very least, more interesting and noteworthy. But is it Weird Enough for comment? I'll let you know.
About Me
Name: babbsela
Location: Littleton, Colorado, United States
The award I treasure most is for Second Place in the Fifth Grade Spelling Bee at Naranca Elementary. I got second place instead of first because I hesitated when I spelled my word, and didn't listen to my gut. My gut had the right spelling. That's an important life lesson that has stuck with me ever since.
